Cotton-feeder mechanism



Feb. 4, 1930.- J. L. WALKER l 1,746,135

COTTQN FEEDER MECHANISM Filed Sept. ,9, 1927 wnNEssE: INVENTOR /rf/ I ATTORNEY 'rfeaturesbf constructionl land combinations l 50i-understood from the yollovvinglr description i Patented Feb. 4.1930. y

` Y. Y.'rieicizson..il. oF LARE'NQNQTEXAS' boll' breaker, or Votherffgenerally analogous continuous andV automatic' e'e'd 'mechanism Wlii'c'h- 'Will-eliminate rnn'aiiyfof tliefdisadvany 'I v tages incidental tothe useoflthe "intermittenti'v ioifor. qua's'irl'interrnittentfr'feeds' now conuno'nly employed. v

vMost-jef thefreedvmeehenisms,which treat i present utilized, f `:Eeed cotton eithertoo fast,"

- or not at all failing lto 'screen ask much dirt fails-*t0 lpermit cleank se'parationfoftlie cotton fromthe burrs or hulls.'y 1" Ink addition, the 'in-'- termittent feeders req'uiredfso mu'c'h'pressure to operate them,'that avery tightv roll is often what isknownas gin cut' cotton',a lovv grade productif A. 'f i 1: i. .h .y

. In accordance- With"'the present invention,

I have eliminated 'allot=theseidiiicultiesby the? provisionof-a f'eedvvhifch -is entirely? au#v tomaticg and lvvithvvhich the'speedofthe feed Y rolls isregulatedi with extremef accuracy by vtheepressure Voi the cotton' intherollfboxf y "pairlof' intermeshingfeed rollgearslliand W f loofjequa'l size. A- Theieed rolls pass'the cot'`lv 85.??? Vton:onto'theusual.spikedfeed'drumfseen'in i dotted lines lat 16, the shaftil'? ofthis druml Q Ikcarrying, ythe yusual driving#pulley(notN v shown) f driven asby a belt 18 from anyj-suitlc able' source'fof peyveii On the other end of 90" f,thefdrumshaftlfQisamounted a friction disc Without requiring carrying Offs, ltightT0110, effect accurate speed 'regulation of vthe, feed. rolls. Y

Other l and 1 more general ect'seofthe ini f nismof extremely simple'practical construe` tion, which Will'berugged, durable and eii-'' *cientfin use, and vvellis'uitedftov :the'rrequi'rgvenient manual adjustment. f i

ments' of economical*manufacture and con- 'Y y nism throug'htwhich' povvenifs transmitted-ff".

@from rthe .drumvv 'shaftA to the'A feedroll 'gearsi'f This variable speed `rvtmechanism includes' 95 im' vfsecond. friction disc 20 disposed in parallel-V ism tvithfthediscf19,'butspacedftherefromf- 'I :and yarrangements of parts, `as vvilljbe4 more fullyfli'ereinafterset 1forthand pointed/out in theclaims? The invention may be'rlorefully v The .presentinventio'n is concerned' with an K improved ymechanism for eedln'g'cottm'fni to a ginA stand, burr extractor,"cottonfcleaner,

automaticallyregulate the'speed of the Afeed 'With the above noted and other objects'inli 4'vievvtjthe inventionconsists; in cert-ainino'vel vin' connection the 'accompanying'dravv f W flngs,"-Wh'ere1n-l 'Y 'i v Figli-1-4 `isa .vievvflainly in lside elevation .n 'andi partly in vertical section showing "my improved vfeed mech'anismapplied to'- 'a ctton'f "55` ygirffeeder.". Y

Fig. 2 is an,ealeigedisecneaiiLaaanffathe j une 2 2 @fing-.1.

It' isto be understood at the outset*thatI While ll have'shovvn the `feed'associated'-vvithfo 'i' a cotton gin, itis applicableto various other 1f cotton cleaning or handling mechanisms as' above suggested, and that vthe present. dravvpretedinfalimiting sensefjy 'f Y .c lnthe drawings I-haveused the-'reference mechanism which receives4 cotton from a belt' 3 L v conveyorlor any other suitable apparatus and 70 '3 f'delivers it to :a cleaningorpleatingapparatusA l indicated generally atl l1', which inthe presfA v lent i'nsta1'1ce"has been 'illustrated'as ajgin.` .i l

The cotton in c bat"v form having', passed through the cleaning mechanism is',received@75 in a roll box 12 provided -vvith a hinged'pres- "4v l sure plate f'lyvvhichf is actedl uponby the pressure ofthe cotton rollin the boXlQ'to'"A ing' mechanism 10. Thecottonis passed into thevf'eedjmecha-" ynism' 10 v through` the conventioiialj teedfrolls` (not shovvn) which;V Arolls "are yactuated `a f 2 `19 forming part of a variablespeed'jmecha DiscjfZO overlappingtl'ie` discf19to any desired .extentie carried by a 'stubjfshaftQll'mountedf'f Y h y infijtheJv frame `fof the'fjfeedmechanism10;-flQQ?.

Power is transmitted from the disc 19 to the disc'20 through a speed changing friction disc 22 disposed at right angles to the planes of the discs 19 and 2O and frictionally contacting with both of said discs. The disc 22 is rotatable' on the end of a link 23 slidably mounted in a bearing k24 at one end of the drum shaft 17. YSprings 25 and 26 serve to urge the discs 19 and 2() into firm frictional engagement with the speed changing disc 22.

A worm 27 carried by the stub shaft 21 actuates a skew gear 28 on a counter shaft 29,

they lattercarrying a worm 30 adjacent its upper end which drives the feed roll gear 15. Particular attention is called to the specialv arrangement of wormV 27 and skew gear 28,

the threading of the worm being such, that,

it automatically tends Ytopull the disc 2() in against the friction disc 22 as an incident of driving the skew gear. Various modifications of such an arrangement might of course be Worked out, but it is essential that vthe threading of the worml be such that the disc 20 is urged againstthe friction disc 22 instead of awa-y from it in the ordinary course o; transmitting the power through the worm 2 It will be seen that sliding the shaft 23 in its bearing 24 will act to vary the speed ratio between the discs 19 and 20; movement of the disc 22 to the left in Fig. 2 reducing the speed of gear 20, while movement to the right increases it, the speed of the disc 19 being constant;

, Means is provided for operatively connecting the pressure plate 13 of the roll box to the sliding shaft 23 of the speed disc 22, so that when the pressure plate 13is bulged out by a .roll of cotton in the box, shaft 23 will be drawn to the left and reduce the speed of theY feed roll gears 14 and 15.

This mechanism includes a rod 31 carried by the pressure plate 13, and pivotally connected to the end of the shaft 23. Rod 31 vpreferably carries a right angularly disposed .arm 32 along which a counter weight 33 is adjustable to regulate the pressure on the plate 12. Means is also provided for manually sliding the rod 23 to adjust the initial Such meansincludes a lever 34 pivote'd as at'35 on the cotton trough 36 and cooperatingwith a toothed sector 37. Instead of the usual dog to lock the lever in place,'I have provided a worm 38 normally vengaged with the teeth of thesector and capableof being withdrawn from engagement by a small lever handle 39. Y The worm may` be rotated to effect minute adjustments by turning a handle 40 onthe upper end of a shaft 41 mounted on the lever 34. rlhe lower end of the shaft 41 and the end of the shaft which carries the worm 38 are provided with intermeshing bevelled gears 42, so that rotation of the handle 40 permits minute or microscopic adjustments of the lever about its pivot 35, this lever being connected as at 43 to the rod 23 so that lever movement is imparted directly to the rod. When the machine is operating automatically, the handle 39 is lifted upwardly to disengage theworm 38 and the worm retained out of engagement by slipping a retaining hook or ring 44 over the lever 39. Y Y

Obviously various changes and alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from the invention. HenceV I do notwish to limit myself tothe details set forth, but shall consider myself at liberty to make Vsuch changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scopje of thev appended claims. Y

I claim: v f

1. rljlhe combination with a cotton handling machine including a roll box,.of a continuousand automatic feed 'mechanism including a pair of meshing feed roll gears, a feed drum,

a variable speed reduction mechanism'driven Y from the drum, gearing between the speed reduc-tion mechanism and one ofthe feed roll gears, a vpressure plate constituting part of roll box having a pressure plate, of a continuous and automatic feed mechanism including a pair of feed roll gears, a feed drum, a va riable speed reduction mechanismV driven from the drum, means for operating the feed roll gears from the speed reduction mechanism, a. pressurey plate constituting partl of the roll box, Vand operative connections between the variable speed mechanism and the pressure plate, said connections including a slidable shaftactuated by movementrof the pressure plate and carrying the speed change element of the reduction'mechanism,movef ment of theV pressure plate serving to automatically vary the speed of thevariable speed mechanism and the feed roll gears. i

3. The combination with a cotton handling machine of the class described including a roll box, of a continuous and automatic feed Y mechanism including apair of feed roll gears, a feed drum, a variable speed reduction mechanism for driving the feed roll gears from the drum, a pressure plate constituting part of the rollbox, operativeconnections between the variable speed mechanism and the pres-V sure plate, vand means for manually and minutely setting the speed varying mechanism, said mechanism including a rack and a worm engaging the rack.

4. The combination with a cotton handling .machine of the class described'including a roll box, of a continuous and automatic feed Yff25 segment rack kfor making wide adjustments, la worm carried by the 'lever engageable with l Y mechanism 'including axpair lof "feed rol-lgears,a feed drum, a variable speedreductionmechanism for driving. the feed roll gearsfrom the drum, a pressure plate consti- V y tuting part of the roll box, .operativeconnectionsbetween thevariable speed mechanism and the pressure plate, and means for manually settingk the speed Varying'm echanism,"saidw 4manual setting-means including an associated lever and segment rack for making wide adjustments, and a worm carried by the leverv engageable with the rack and serving as a locking dog for the lever.

5. The combination with a cotton handling machine of theclass described vincluding a roll box,jof a continuous and automatic feed j mechanism including a pair of feed roll gears,

`speed varying'mechanism, said manual setting means including an associated lever and I Y, the rack and serving as a klocking dog for the lever, and means "forrotating the wormto n feed the lever along therack.

6. The combination with a cotton handling machine of theclass described including a y roll box, of a continuous and automatic feed mechanism including a pair'of feed roll gears, a feed drum, a variable speed reduction mechanism for driving the feed roll gears from the the pressure plate ofthe -roll box and driving' theY stub shaft disc from the drum shaft disc. 8. In acontinuous and automatic cotton sure plate, a pair of'meshing feed rollgears, a feed drum, a friction disc on the shaft of said,

drum, a stub shaft having a wormthereon, a vfriction disc onv thegstub shaft parallel `with' f and spaced from the lirst disc, a right angu- Y larly disposed friction disc between and engaging the said discs, a slidable shaft upon which the angularly disposed friction disk is mounted, means for slidingand'rocking said shaft, means connecting the said shaft with lthe pressure plate of the roll box, and a vertical shaft having on its upperend a worm ,f

meshing with one of the feed roll rgears and "feeding mechanism, a roll `box having a pres-v l," V

er ,Y

on its lower end a gear meshing with theV worm of the stub shaft;

9." In combination, v a cotton handling machine having meshing feed roll gears, and a roll Vbox having a pressure plate, a variable i' i speed mechanism operatively connected with one of the gears, and meansoperable incident to movement of the pressure plate for varying the speed of the variable speed mechanism and thereby control the speed of the feed roll gears. l

vSigned at Clarendon in the county of Doni leyvV and State of Texas .this 15th day of August A. D. 1927A. s v Y JACKSON L. WALKER.

drum, a pressure plate constituting part of -v ythe rolll box, operative connections zbetween the variable speed mechanism and the vpressure plate, means for'manually'setting the sneed varying mechanism, said manual set- Y ting means including an associated lever and segment rack for making wide adjustments, la worm carried bythe lever engageablewith the rack and serving as a locking dog forY the lever,means for rotating the wormvto feed l' the lever along the rack, and means for dis- Y engaging the worm from the rack and retaining it in disengaged position to permit automatic control of the feed roll speed from the roll box pressure plate.

-7. The combination machine of the class described including a roll `box having a vpressure plate, of a continuous V; and automatic feed k'mechanism including a with a cotton handling y pair of feedjroll gears, a feed drum, a Vari` v.able speed reduction mechanism for driving )the feed roll gears from the drum, avpressure plate constituting "part of the roll box,l andy operative connections between the variable speed mechanism and the .pressure plate, said mechanism including va friction disc on thev drumV shaft,-a second spaced-parallell disc on a stub shaft, and a right angularly disposed,

axially shiftable friction discconnected with iso 

